Antioxidant intake among Brazilian adults - The Brazilian Osteoporosis Study (BRAZOS): a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Antioxidant nutrient intake and the lesser formation of free radicals seem to contribute to chronic diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the intake profile of the main dietary antioxidants in a representative sample of the adult Brazilian population and discuss the main consequences of a low intake of these micronutrients on overall health.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The sample comprised 2344 individuals aged 40 years or older from 150 cities and was based on a probabilistic sample from official data. The research was conducted through in-home interviews administered by a team trained for this purpose. Dietary intake information was obtained through 24-h recall. The Nutrition Data System for Research software program was used to analyze data on the intake of vitamins A, C and E, selenium and zinc, which was compared to Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). Differences in intake according to sex, anthropometrics, socioeconomic status and region were also evaluated. The SPSS statistical package (version 13) was used for the statistical analysis. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Higher proportions of low intake in relation to recommended values were found for vitamin E (99.7%), vitamin A (92.4%) and vitamin C (85.1%) in both genders. Intake variations were found between different regions, which may reflect cultural habits.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results should lead to the development of public health policies that encourage educational strategies for improving the intake of micronutrients, which are essential to overall health and prevention of non-communicable diseases.</p

The effect of antioxidant deficiency on tissue lipid composition in the rat. III. Testes

Production of testicular degeneration in the antioxidant-deficient rat resembles encephalomalacia in the chick in its dependence on essential (ω6) fatty acids and is distinct from the generalized response to all polyunsaturated fatty acids seen in nutritional muscular dystrophy in the rat. The nonessential (ω3) polyunsaturated fatty acids, however, lower the essential fatty acid content of the testicular lipids only slightly, are not themselves incorporated into this tissue to any appreciable degree and thus do not show the inhibitory effect on production of the antioxidant-deficiency sign noted in the studies on encephalomalacia. A direct relationship between the essential fatty acid content of the testes and the rate of testicular degeneration was found, but no effects of biologically available selenium and sulfur amino acids were evident. As the liver and muscle, onset of antioxidant-deficiency is characterized by a decrease in the most highly unsaturated fatty acid in the tissue (22:5-ω6 in this case) and a net increase in arachidonate